Locksmithing tool



April 17, 1956 GENENDER ETAL 2,741,907

LOCKSMITHING TOOL Filed April 21, 1955 United States Patent 2,741,907 I LOCKSMITHING TOOL Louis Genender, Brooklyn, and Joseph Nagy, New York, N. Y.

Application April 27, 1953, Serial No. 351,233

1 Claim. (31. 70-372 This situation is corrected by replacement of the lower pins which normally are positioned within the rotatable cylinder and plug.

This work has heretofore presented a problem in that when the plug is removed from the lock body, the upper pins which remain disposed within bores in the lock body are not positively maintained. in position, and since the same are resiliently urged into the space formerly occupied by the plug, the same become dislodged from the bores in which they were originally positioned, therefore necessitating the repositioning of the same before the lock is reassembled. This process is time consuming since the pins which are normally positioned in the lock body do not wear as do the lower pins, and there is no reason for their removal when replacing the lower pins. Furthermore, the pins are relatively small in size, and the same are not readily repositioned without considerable effort on the part of the locksmith.

It is therefore among the principal. objects of the invention to provide a locksmiths tool by means of which the above-mentioned difficulty is substantially eliminated.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a locksmithing tool which is adapted to be inserted into the lock body simultaneously with the removal of the rotatable plug so that a continuous surface is presented to the ends of the pins disposed in the lock body, to constantly maintain the same in position.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of a locksmithing tool of the class described in which there are substantially no moving parts comprising the same,

thereby permitting the tool to have a relatively long trouble free useful life expectancy.

A further object of the invention lies in the provision of a tool of the class described in which the cost of fabrication may be of a relatively low order with consequent wide sale, distribution and use in the locksmithing trade.

A feature of the invention lies in the fact that the same may be made in a plurality of formsfor use in conjunction with a corresponding variety of locks.

These objects and features, as well as other incidental ends and advantages, will become more fully, apparent during the course of the following disclosure, and be pointed out in the appended claim.

On the drawing, to which reference will be made in the specification, similar reference characters have been employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation view showing first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view,

' partly in elevation, showing the insertion of the device into a standard type of pin tumbler lock, simultaneously with the withdrawal of the. cylinder element thereof.

Figure. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view as seen from the plane 3-3 on Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view as seen from the plane 4 4 on Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse sectional. view as seen from the plane 5-5 on Figure 2. p i

Figure 6 is a fragmentary view in perspectiveshowing a portion of a shaft member whichcomprises a part of the embodiment.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing a first alternate form of the embodiment.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view in perspective showing a second alternate form of the embodiment.

In accordance with the invention, the device, generally indicated by reference character 10, is shown on Figure 1 engaged within a cylinder lock 12 of a standard type. The lock 12 normally includes a threaded body element 14 having an outer threaded surface 16 which is engageable With locking door structure (not shown) in a wellknown manner. The body 14 includes an outer face 18 which is normally exposed for the insertion of a key, and

drilled within the lock body are a plurality of bores 20 in which there are disposed a corresponding number of pins 22 which are of substantially equal length. The pins 22 are urged in a downwardly direction as shown in. Figure 2 by means of small coil springs 24.

Disposed at right angles to the bores 20 is a main bore 26 which accommodates the rotatable plug 28 disposed therein. The plug 28 has a number of bores 30 disposed at right angles withrespect to-vits own principal axis of rotation, each of these bores being provided with a pin 32 slidably disposed therein. The pins 32 are of unequal length, correspondingto the configuration of a key (not shown) which is disposed within a key channel 33, and

, aligned by the insertion of the key so that the plug may be rotated. The bore 26 is provided with a rabbet portion 36 engageable with a corresponding flange 34 on the plug 28, so that the plug may be removed from the lock body 14 only in a direction to the right as viewed on Figure 2. The opposite terminal 38 of the plug 28 is of generally irregular configuration with which the device 10 may be engaged, as will be more clearly seen at a point later in the disclosure.

As has been mentioned, with continued use the portions of the pins 32 which contact the key, become worn and it is necessary to replace the same in order that the lock may be turned upon the insertion of the key. This is normally done by removing the plug from the lock body after which the individual pins 32 may be cleared from the corresponding bores 30. Unfortunately, when this procedure is used, the pins 22, which normally do not wear, and which need not be removed, have a tendency to be expelled from their corresponding bores 20 by the action of the springs 24. This is avoided by the use of the device 10.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, it will be observed that the device 10 comprises broadly a shaft member 40, an enlargement, preferably in the form of a collar or flange member 42, and a handle member 44. The entire device is preferably formed integrally from a single piece of stock, and is of such configuration that the same may be made by modern mass production techniques.

The shaft member 40 includes a plug engaging terminal 46 having a slot 48 which corresponds to thepro- 3 ball being maintained in the bore by peining the edges of the bore 58 (see Figures 4).

The device is used as follows: Once the lock body 14 has been removed from the door with which the same is normally used, the key is inserted and the plug 28 turned to the position shown on Figure 5. The insertion of the key will cause the pins 32 and 22 to be aligned, so that upon rotation of the plug the outer surface thereof will maintain the pins 22 in the position shown. At this point, the shaft member 40 is engaged with the projection 50 which fits into the slot 48, and the handle member 44 is gently rotated so that the plug 28 is eased out of the bore 26 simultaneously with the entry of the shaft member thereinto. The pins 32 may then be removed from the plug, to be replaced with new pins, after which the operation is reversed, the plug being first engaged with the shaft member 40, and reinserted into the bore 26, while simultaneously removing the shaft member. During the period in which the locksmith is replacing the pins 32, the detent means 52 which has been depressed upon entry into the bore 26, expands and maintains the shaft member within the bore to prevent accidental loss of the pins 22 in the bores 20, while the surface 60 of the collar or flange member 42 prevents the tool from being accidentally pushed completely through the bore 26.

Turning now to the alternate forms of the invention shown on Figures 7 and 8, parts coresponding to those of the principal form have been designated with similar reference characters, with the additional sufiixes prime and double prime The alternate forms of the invention differ only in the configuration of that portion of the shaft member which engages the plugs of various locks. Where the plug being removed is provided with a slot rather than a projection 54), the shaft member 40 is provided with a corresponding projection 64. Where the end of the plug is provided with a projection having a round cross section, a similarly shaped socket 65 is provided in the shaft member 40".

It may thus be seen that there has been provided a novel and useful locksmithing tool which permits easy disassembly of pin tumbler type locks with a degree of accuracy, skill and convenience heretofore unobtainable by ordinary locksmithing methods. The device is simple to use, inexpensive to manufacture, and has substantially no moving parts. In use, the lock is in no Way damaged, and may be used by those skilled in the art without any additional training.

We wish it to be understood that we do not consider the invention limited to the exact details of structure shown and set forth in this specification, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains.

We claim:

A locksmiths tool for use with a tumbler type of lock having a body, a rotatable plug of given diameter engageable in said body, and a plurality of pins slidably engageable with said body and said plug, said tool comprising; a shaft having a diameter substantially equal to that of said plug, means on said shaft engageable with an end of said plug whereby said shaft may be inserted into said body as said plug is withdrawn from said body to maintain a portion of said pins in position within said body; first means including a spring-pressed ball serving to maintain said shaft within said body, engageable with an outer edge of said body; and second means in the form of a flange disposed concentrically with respect to the axis of said shaft to limit the degree of entry of said shaft into said body.

OTHER REFERENCES The Manual of Locksmithing, by S. A. McLean, page 104. 

